What are you listening to now?

Started by Dungeon Master, February 15, 2013, 09:13:11 PM

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bhodges

Quote from: Toccata&Fugue on July 12, 2019, 09:56:00 AM
This is still my favorite recording. Some newer ones might have a bit more transparency (although this LP still sounds pretty good), but I love this interpretation and performance.



One of the greats, for sure. These days, I am liking a bit more ruggedness in Bruckner, but this recording still stands up quite well. PS, when this cycle came out, my brother (who loves it, too) referred to it as the "dead bird series."  ;D

--Bruce

bhodges

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 3 (Chailly/Concertgebouw) -- References to Bach abound here. It would be interesting to hear from someone who is able to recognize bits of the Brandenburgs, as well as the Well-Tempered Clavier. (I get some, but not all.) The ensemble also includes four bells that spell out "BACH," which appear here and there.

One of my favorite recordings from the Chailly years with this orchestra.

[Asin]B00000E4NN[/asin]

--Bruce

SymphonicAddict

#138642


On these days I've concluded listening to the Beethoven's complete piano sonatas played by Barenboim, and I have to mention a cliche-but-necessary thought about it: it's definitely the most compelling and magnificent sonata corpus in existence. No other reaches such level of creativity and majesty like the Beethoven IMO. I'm amazed by the resourcefoulness and variety of ideas, moods and poetry displayed here. If I had to pick my very favorite among them, it would be the last one (Op. 111). A turbulent 1st movement, which seems foreshadowing some Liszt ideas. But it's the 2nd movement that impresses me the most. The Arietta is so pure, sincere, intimate but so simple at the same time. I remember the first time I heard it. That tender melody stuck on my mind since then. I find it very moving. And the subsequent variations prove once again the masterly technique of this genius, simply gorgeous. The boogie-woogie-like passage is another remarkable, even contrasting moment in this movement. It shows that Beethoven was ahead of his time. Barenboim play this sonata with real profoundity (above all the 2nd movement). That performance did click on me at the point of blowing me away.

Other outstanding sonatas were the Opp. 110, 109, 106 (3rd movement!), 101, 57, 54, 27-1, 26, 22, 14 and 2. The ones that underwhelm me a bit were the Op. 27-2 Moonlight and Op. 31-2 Tempest.

kyjo

Quote from: North Star on July 10, 2019, 08:34:59 AM
First-listen Wednesday
Arnold
Symphony for Strings, Op. 13*
Symphony no. 1, Op. 22**
BBC Concert Orchestra*
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra**
Vernon Handley



I've somehow avoided exploring Arnold's music thus far. These were both very enjoyable and intriguing works, I'll definitely spend a lot more time with his music in the near future.

He's certainly a composer well worth exploring! :)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on July 12, 2019, 12:05:15 PM


On these days I've concluded listening to the Beethoven's complete piano sonatas played by Barenboim, and I have to mention a cliche-but-necessary thought about it: it's definitely the most compelling and magnificent sonata corpus in existence. No other reaches such level of creativity and majesty like the Beethoven IMO. I'm amazed by the resourcefoulness and variety of ideas, moods and poetry displayed here. If I had to pick my very favorite among them, it would be the last one (Op. 111). A turbulent 1st movement, which seems foreshadowing some Liszt ideas. But it's the 2nd movement that impresses me the most. The Arietta is so pure, sincere, intimate but so simple at the same time. I remember the first time I heard it. That tender melody stuck on my mind since then. I find it very moving. And the subsequent variations prove once again the masterly technique of this genius, simply gorgeous. The boogie-woogie-like passage is another remarkable, even contrasting moment in this movement. It shows that Beethoven was ahead of his time. Barenboim play this sonata with real profoundity (above all the 2nd movement). That performance did click on me at the point of blowing me away.

Other outstanding sonatas were the Opp. 110, 109, 106 (3rd movement!), 101, 57, 54, 27-1, 26, 22, 14 and 2. The ones that underwhelm me a bit were the Op. 27-2 Moonlight and Op. 31-2 Tempest.

Great analysis, Cesar! You've inspired me to explore the Beethoven sonatas more deeply.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Madiel

Nielsen, Piano Suite op.45



Before buying this box, primarily for the string music, I bought another set of the piano music performed by John McCabe. Partly this was because of reviews with a less favourable view of Herman Koppel's performances in this box.

I'm generally finding Koppel's performances to be the more interesting ones to listen to. There's a dynamism and fantasy here that McCabe doesn't often seem to have. I don't know how much of it is the recording (again, I saw less favourable comments about Koppel's recording quality but the sound is absolutely fine) and how much is the performances, but at this stage I'm wondering how many times in a direct A/B comparison I'd favour McCabe.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

André



Andriessen's instrument was the organ. He was organist at the Utrecht cathedral, where his improvisations drew crowds. He also taught composition and was director of the Utrecht and Hague conservatories. A Franck admirer, he wrote a book on the belgian composer. Here we have the four big chorales (1913-1921) interspersed with other compositions. The generous program is intelligently laid out, alternating the impressive, turbulent chorales with shorter, mostly meditative pieces.

The Leeds Cathedral organ was restored in 2010 by Klais. It is a very fine instrument. The building being on the small side for a cathedral, the reverb time is rather short, which allows great clarity. This is a most rewarding disc of Andriessen's organ oeuvre. I was more than once reminded of his slightly older contemporary, the swede Otto Olsson, who held similar positions in Stockholm and whose music is also hugely impressive.

A warm recommendation for organ lovers.

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: kyjo on July 12, 2019, 12:34:26 PM
Great analysis, Cesar! You've inspired me to explore the Beethoven sonatas more deeply.

Thank you! Yes, why not? Do it when you can!

amw



D959—up there with my favourites for this sonata.

Also I've noted that several of the other volumes of Aki Takahashi's Schubert series seem to be out of print (D894/575, D784/845, D946/940, D850/760)—if anyone has any hot tips on where to purchase them for a reasonable price let me know.

Mandryka

#138649
Quote from: amw on July 12, 2019, 08:53:53 PM


D959—up there with my favourites for this sonata.

Also I've noted that several of the other volumes of Aki Takahashi's Schubert series seem to be out of print (D894/575, D784/845, D946/940, D850/760)—if anyone has any hot tips on where to purchase them for a reasonable price let me know.

Noted and a five minute sample makes it sound interestingly melancholic and very well recorded. I shall listen next time I'm in the mood for long form Schubert.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen


Maestro267

Lajtha: Symphony No. 8
Pécs SO/Pasquet

Brian

Albéniz
Iberia
Jean-François Heisser

Also known, for those who remember this, as the Joyce Hatto recording.

Traverso

#138653
Classical music from another part of the world

CD1

Anthology of World Music  Iran
Variations in the Chahargah mode, played on the kamantche
by Ashgar Bahari
   
Poem of Saadi, sung in the Segah mode
by Golpayegani
   
The Dashti mode, played on the sehtar
by Ebrahimi
   
Poem of Saadi, sung in the mode Bayote-Isphahan and its variations
by Golpayegani



https://www.youtube.com/v/2FHLXTt_McU

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Traverso

#138655
Classical Vocal Art of Persia

Beautiful vocal art inspired by spiritual and  sensuous poetry



https://www.youtube.com/v/PKAVroeQVa8


Kontrapunctus

#138656
Excellent sound and some staggeringly good playing from Verdery. This LP contains guitar transcriptions of Bach's Harpsichord Concerto In D Minor, BWV 1052 and CPE Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in A Major.


jwinter

The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

jwinter

The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

André



Film directors Fritz Lang, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and Georg Wilhelm Pabst reigned on the german film scene during the era of silent movies. Lang's Metropolis (1926) is a classic that is regularly presented in specialized theaters, either in b&w or in a colorized version. Pioneer film music composer Gottfried Huppertz composed the music to be played in the theater, meaning that a full symphony orchestra was on hand to play the 2 1/2 hour score during the film screening. Lang and Huppertz' previous collaboration was for the 5 hour epic The Nibelungs, shot in two parts, Siegfried and Kriemhilds Rache (Kriemhild's Vengeance).

When I first saw these films some 40-45 years ago it was assumed that they were silent films, period. Nowhere in the writings of the time (I had a few dictionaries of movies) was there any mention that a full symphony score existed. My 1976 edition of the Oxford Companion to Film fails to mention any music in the entries to Metropolis or Die Nibelungen. The Film Music entry devotes a short paragraph to silent film scores, with a mention of The Birth of a Nation or Abel Gance's Napoléon, but none on composer Gottfried Huppertz. Silent films then were definitely silent. No recordings existed either, obviously. I would have been startled at the time to discover that Lang's epic masterpieces were meant to be seen and heard with their own music music played by an actual orchestra!

Conductor Frank Strobel is an old hand at film music conducting. Here he has the fine Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra playing the score Huppertz composed. Well, not all of it. The team did record a 4 1/2 hour, 4 disc set of the whole shebang. This single disc presents a sensibly assembled 75 minutes selection. Similarly, the Metropolis score exists in full (2 1/2 hour) or abridged (77 minutes) compact disc releases. The full score heard shorn of the visuals is not a winning proposition IMO. A disc of excerpts works perfectly fine and this sumptuously produced disc makes a fine job of presenting some of The Nibelungs' main scenes.

Scenarist Thea von Harbou (quite a character unto herself) went for the nordic saga characters and events, not Wagner's adaptation, so we are not tempted to draw comparisons. What emerges is a fine post-romantic score with a nice sense of the film's narrative. Huppertz was quite good with themes (none having any resemblance to the well-known Wagner leitmotifs), and his orchestration is very effective. Composers like Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Franz Waxman learned their film music trade in part from Huppertz' composing techniques.

I would now expect to see a DVD or theater screening with the full musical accompaniment. Lang clearly expected music to be played during the film screening. It's quite a new paradigm.